Folding chair and kneeler attachment



Dec. 19, 1961 J. D. EVES ETAL 3,013,840

FOLDING CHAIR AND KNEELER ATTACHMENT Filed Jan. 7, 1959 I5 Sheets-Sheet1 Dec. 19, 1961 J. D. EVES ETAL FOLDING CHAIR AND KNEELER ATTACHMENT 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 7, 1959 INVENTORS. Jo/m/ 0. sues lfA/A Ei'b'4. raven/Na Dec. 19, 1961 v s ETAL FOLDING CHAIR AND KNEELER ATTACHMENT5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan, 7 1959 6 M S m; V M. n M N #7 0E KM Y BATTMA/Ers nited States Patent 9 3,613,840 HA? ANB KNEELER ATTAQHh/EENTIiohn D. Eves and Kenneth A. 'llerpening, Cortland, N.Y.,

assignors to The Brevverfitchener lljorporation, Cortland, N332, acorporation of New York Filed Jan. 7, X959, Ser. No. 7%,357 9 tclairss.(Cl. 27-4Ta6 This invention relates to folding chairs and, moreparticularly, to folding chairs having a kneeler attachment designed andadapted for use in churches, chapels and the like as a chapel chair.

An object of this invention is to provide such chairs with an improvedkneeler attachment which is adapted to be independently collapsedwithout folding the mount ing chair, as well as being adapted to assumea collapsed and substantialy coplanar relation with respect to a fullycollapsed or folded chair to thereby enhance the versatility and storageof such chairs.

Another object is to provide a folding chair construction housing akneeler attachment which is adapted to be collapsed to a completelyfolded position during which it is structurally retained againstundesirable movement and released therefrom only upon application ofproperly exerted forces and consequential deliberate movement.

A further object is to provide a similar folding chair structure whereinthe kneeler attachment is adapted to be folded to a completely collapsedposition at which time structural means cooperate to prevent the kneelerattachment from shifting past dead center.

An important object is to provide a folding chair with an improvedkneeler attachment which is of simple construction, less expensive tomanufacture, and advantageously and conveniently operable underpractically all contemplated conditions of use as well as storagewithout affecting the proper and desired functioning of such chairs.

In general, the present invent-ion comprises a kneeler attachment havinga kneeling pad suitably supported in a frame assembly having rigidlyconnected thereto a pair of arms which extend forwardly andare pivotallyattached to the rear support legs of a folding chair. The point ofattachment of this pair of arms to the rear legs is at a predeterminedelevation with respect to the unfolded chair whereby the kneeling padwillmbe in a substantially horizontal position when the kneeler attach?ment is in an unfolded position. Additionally, this point of attachmentis at a short distance beneath a cross-bar extending between the rearlegs of the folding chair. The kneeler attachment may thus be foldedupwardly and forwardly to a collapsed position at which time it will bedisposed substantially between the rear chair legs, with the supportingarms resting against this, cross-bar through stop means which alsofunction to prevent any shifting past dead center. A pair of legs arepivotally connected to the undersurface of the kneeler frame adjacentits rear edge for finding support on the selected floor surface. A pairof links are pivotally connected at one end to the kneeler legs and atthe opposite end to the, rear legs of the chair. These links serve tohold the kneeler legs in proper position to support the kneelerpad whenin an operative position. When the kneeler is shifted to its collapsedposition, these links force the kneeler legs to pivot downwardly andthusly to an ultimate disposition substantially coplanar with the rearchair legs.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the followingdetailed description which is to be taken in conjunction with theattached sheets of drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of theinvention, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an unfolded chair and 3,913,840 PatentedDec. 19, 1961 iCC kneeler attachment fabricated in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of this chair and kneeler attachment in acollapsed and completely folded position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged elevational front view of the kneeler attachmentand its structural association with the rear supporting legs of thefolding chair when both are in an unfolded condition with certain partsbroken away and removed;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4.-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a similar view illustrating the kneeler attachment in itsfolded and collapsed position as well as a phantom representation of thedisposition of its elements when in an intermediate position between afully collapsed and unfolded condition;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 66 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a rear elevational view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 3-8 of FIG.7.

Reference is now made to the construction of the folding chair 10 which,as illustrated in FIG. 1, is adapted to assume an unfolded operativeposition from the folded, collapsed position of FIG. 2. In thisconnection, a backrest 12 is pivotally associated with a seat 14 throughmeans including a handle bar 16, which, in turn, additionally serves asa handle for carrying the chair 10 when in its folded condition. Theback-rest 12 has pivotally connected thereto a pair of front supportinglegs 18 and 20 which terminate at their lower ends in the usual feet 22,which may be formed from suitable resinous material. Seat 14, on theother hand, has .pivotally connected thereto a pair of rear supportinglegs 24 and 26 which similarly include the usual plastic feet 28.

The supporting legs 18 and 24 are pivotally connected to one anotherintermediate their ends, whereas supporting legs 24 and 26 are similarlyconnected interme diate their ends. Cross-bars or braces 30 and 32extend between and are rigidly connected to supporting legs 13 and Ztlfor purposes of cooperating to maintain the desired spaced-apartrelationship of the chair supporting legs in addition to their otherfunctions. An additional cross-bar 34 is similarly connected to thesupporting legs 24 and 26, but preferably is disposed interiorly andforwardly of the rear supporting legs 24 and 26, the purpose of whichwill become apparent from the following. In an effort to secure theproper interrelationship of parts as well as distribution of stressesand strains, a pair of bearing brackets 36 and 38 are secured to theundersurface of seat 14 and are adapted to engage front supporting legs18 and 20, respectively, when the chair 10 is in its unfolded operativecondition. For a more detailed disclosure of a folding chair ofsubstantially similar construction, reference should be made toapplication Serial Number 742,356, filed June 16, 1958, having a commonin greater seating capacity for a given area. As a consequence of. theraising of cross brace 30, reinforcing angles 39 are inserted in each ofthe front legs 18 and 2t and extend from the foot of each of these legsto the raised cross brace 30. These angles 39 serve to reinforce theunsupported portion of the front legs below the cross brace.

The kneeler attachment 40 comprises a kneeling pad assembly 42 and acollapsible frame 44 pivotally coupled with the rear legs 24 and 26 ofthe foldable chair It). The kneeling pad assembly 42 is advantageouslycoupled with the collapsible frame 44 such that in a normal unfoldedposition it will be disposed substantially parallel to the plane of thefioor, which, under most circumstances, is ordinarily horizontal. In thefully collapsed or folded position the kneeling pad assembly will besubstantially parallel to the plane defined by the pivotal connectionsof the collapsible frame 44, which are substantially coplanar with theplane of the rear legs 24 and 26 of chair 10.

The kneeling pad assembly 42 includes a pan 46 of substantiallyrectangular configuration with rounded corners 48. The upstanding sidewalls of the pan 46 are folded or bent inwardly upon themselves to formsubstantially rounded upper peripheral edges 50 in an effort to minimizethe number of exposed sharp edges on the kneeler attachment 40. The base52 of the pan 46 cornprises essentially an inwardly extending flangewith extensions 54 and 56 suitably bored to receive a pair of attachingscrews 58 and 60, respectively. These attaching screws 58 and 60 extendthrough similarly formed bores in a backing panel 62 which is anchoredto the inside of the pan 46, as for example by spot welding. A plywoodpanel 64, for the kneeler upholstery, is secured to the pan 46 as wellas the backing panel 62 by the attaching screws 58 and 60. The kneelerupholstery, which is conveniently attached to the plywood panel 64 byany of the well-known commercial techniques, comprises the usual clothbarrier 66 together with a vinyl plastic covering 63, both of whichcooperate to encase the sponge rubber filler 70.

Referring now to the collapsible frame 4-4, it will be observed that apair of front supporting arms or bars 72 and 74- have secured thereto-asby weldinga pair of attaching angles 76 and 78, respectively. Theseangles, in turn, may be similarly welded to inward extensions 80 and 82,respectively, of base 52 of pan 46. The forward end of both supportingarms 72 and 74 are pivotally connected to the rear legs 26 and 24,respectively, of the chair by means of connections, each of whichincludes a bolt 84 extending inwardly through the associated rear leg ofthe chair 10, through a bore in an arcuately shaped attaching plate 86,through a fiber friction washer 88, through the suitably formed bore inthe front end of the adjacent support arm and then into engagement withan adjustable stop nut assembly 90. The attaching plate 86 is suitablycurved to conveniently embrace the exposed and associated sectors of thesupporting rear leg of the chair 10. In this connection, plate 86 servesto strengthen this rear leg at the point where it is pierced with holeswhich cooperate to attach the kneeler assembly to the chair 10. Thefriction washer 88 functions upon displacement of the nut assembly 90 toeither tighten or loosen the pivotal connection to thereby change,accordingly, the required force to effect relative movement of theparts.

Stop plates 92 and 94 are properly located on support arms 72 and 74,respectively, and are suitably secured thereto-as by spot weldingtotheir inner side faces. These stop plates 92 and 94 extend upwardlybeyond the upper edges of the supporting arms 72 and 74, respectively,when the collapsible frame 44 is in unfolded posi tion. Accordingly,they are adapted to ultimately engage the cross brace 34 of the chair 10when frame 44 is in its collapsed position to thereby prevent foldingpast dead center when assuming its ultimate collapsed position.

The rear ends of the support arms 72 and 74, to which are attachedangles 76 and 78, respectively, are pivotally connected by means ofrivet 96 and washer 98, assemblies to kneeler legs 100 and 102,respectively, which may be formed from suitable gauged tubing. The freeends of these legs and 102 mount crutch-type feet 104 formed fromsuitable resinous material, which may be shrunk into tight engagementwith the kneeler legs by conventional techniques, Extending between andanchored to the rear of legs 100 and 102 intermediate their ends is aleg brace 106 suitably fabricated from proper gauged tubin. This legbrace 106, in addition to its function of cooperating to maintain thelegs 100 and 102 in their desired spacedapart and parallel relationship,serves as a handle for the kneeler attachment 49 to thusly aid incollapsing and unfolding the frame 44.

A pair of connector link rods 108 and 110 are respectively coupled withthe kneeler attachment legs 100 and 102 on one hand and chair legs 26and 24 on the other. These rods 10% and 110 are of the desired offsetconfiguration, as well as length, to properly effect the folding of theframe assembly 44 from its unfolded to folded position with the pivotalconnections thereof disposed substantially in the same plane. Theconnector links 108 and 110 are each pivotally connected to the kneelerlegs 100 and 102, respectively, by means of rivets 112 and washers 114-with the offset sections of these links bowed inwardly to thus cooperateto permit unobstructed folding of the kneeler attachment to a propercollapsed position. The distal ends of links 108 and 110, with the aidof attaching plates 86, are pivotally connected to the rear legs 26 and24, respectively, of foldable chair 10 by means of rivets 116 andwashers 118.

Thus, when the foldable chair 10 and kneeler attachment 40 are both intheir unfolded position, the arrangement of their parts will be disposedsubstantially as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 6. In order toaccomplish the desired folding of the kneeler attachment 40, the pivotalconnections thereof define a quadrilateral having unequal angles, asclearly shown in FIG. 4. To insure proper stress distribution from thekneeling pad assembly 42 to a supporting floor and further to reduceundesirable torques as well as minimize undesirable kneeler instability,the kneeler legs 100 and 102 define a plane which is not parallel to theplane of the chair rear legs 24 and 26 nor one that is normal to thesupporting floor.

When it is desired to collapse the kneeler attachment 40 While the chair10 is in its unfolded position, the leg brace 106 may be grasped to holdthe frame 44 upwardly and forwardly about its pivotal connections withthe chair rear legs 24 and 26. The kneeler attachment 40 will thusassume the position illustrated in FIGS. 5, 7 and 8 with an intermediatedisposition of kneeler components illustrated in phantom in FIG. 5. Thecollapsed kneeler attachment 40 at this time will be interposedsubstantially between the rear chair legs 24 and 26, and the pivotalconnections of frame 44 disposed substantially coplanar with these legs.Further, to prevent it from shifting past this coplanar relationship,the stop plates 92 and 94 are in engagement with the chair leg brace 34.It should be understood that in folding kneeler attachment 40 to or fromits collapsed position the various kneeler parts are adapted to clearone another. Consequently, uninterrupted and appreciably smooth movementand displacement of parts is efficiently attained.

Additionally, there is a definite locking action presented when thekneeler attachment assumes the fully collapsed position illustrated inFIG. 5. In this position, with cross brace 106 pushed fully down so thatlegs 100 and 102 rest against the pan 46, it will be impossible for thekneeler frame 44 to be unfolded and opened unless cross brace 106 isgrasped and pulled away from the pan 46 to initially pivot legs 100 and102 about their respective rivets 96 to thus begin to effect the properopening motion.

The kneeling pad assembly 42 is located entirely within the confines ofthe chair frame and, accordingly, are not exposed to therebydetrimentally affect the chair appear- Although a single embodiment ofthe present inven-' tion has been illustrated and described, otherpractical embodiments are contemplated by following the teachingsenumerated and implied herein. Accordingly, the disclosed structure ofdetails may be varied without departing from the principles of thepresent invention as well as its numerous advantages. Therefore, thisinvention is in no sense limited by the instant disclosure and isdefined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. The combination, with a folding chair having a pair of rear legs, ofa kneeler attachment including a kneeling pad assembly, and acollapsible frame assembly supporting said kneeling pad assembly andpivotal on the rear legs of said chair between an unfolded positionrearwardly of said chair and a collapsed position substantially coplanarwith the plane of said rear legs, said frame assembly comprising a pairof arms each being pivotally connected with one of said rear legs andfixedly secured to said kneeling pad assembly, a pair of kneeler legseach being pivotally associated with one of said arms, and a pair oflinks each being pivotally connected with one of the kneeler legs, andthe pivotal connection of said arms with said rear legs comprising atleast one stop nut and bolt assembly with interposed friction washer foradjusting the relative ease of collapsing said frame assembly withrespect to said rear legs.

2. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein the pivotalconnection of said arms with said rear legs additionally comprises atleast one interposed attaching plate embracing one of said rear legs,and said attaching plate also forming part of the pivotal connection ofsaid links with said rear legs.

3. The combination, with a folding chair having a pair of rear legs, ofa kneeler attachment including a kneeling pad assembly, and acollapsible frame assembly supporting said kneeling pad assembly andpivotal on the rear legs of said chair between an unfolded positionrearwardly of said chair and a collapsed position substantially coplanarwith the plane of said rear legs, said frame assembly being soconstructed and arranged on said chair to be independently collapsiblewith respect thereto and independent of any folding thereof, said frameassembly comprising a pair of arms each being pivotally coupled with oneof said rear legs and fixedly secured to said kneeling pad assembly suchthat said pair of arms and said kneeling pad assembly are free from anyrelative movement with respect to one another, a pair of kneeler legseach being pivotally associated with one of said arms and a pair oflinks each being pivotally connected with one of said kneeler legs andone of said rear legs, and each of the pivotal connections of said frameassembly defining a single plane substantially coplanar with the planeof said rear legs When said frame assembly is in its collapsed position,with said kneeler legs, rear legs, arms and links being substantiallycoplanar when said frame assembly is in its collapsed position. i

4. The invention in accordance with claim 3, wherein said planes areeach substantially parallel to and spaced from a plane defined by saidkneeling pad assembly when said frame assembly is in its collapsedposition.

5. The invention in accordance with claim 3, wherein a cross-braceextends between the pair of rear legs of said chair and said frameassembly includes means for cooperating with said cross-brace forpreventing said frame assembly from shifting past said single planecoplanar with the plane of said rear legs when said frame assembly is inits collapsed position, and said means comprises at least one stop plateextending beyond said frame assembly and adapted to engage saidcross-brace when said frame assembly is in its collapsed position.

6. The invention in accordance with claim 3 wherein said kneeling padassembly includes a pan secured to said frame assembly, a panel disposedwithin said pan and connected thereto, and a resilient member incovering relationship with respect to said panel.

7. The invention in accordance with claim 3, wherein said kneeler legs,rear legs, arms and links form a pair of quadrilaterals each havingunequal angles.

8. The invention in accordance with claim 3, wherein a leg brace extendsbetween and is connected to said kneeler legs and is adapted to serve asa handle in collapsing and unfolding said frame assembly and further isdisposed in other than a coplanar position with respect to said rearlegs when said frame assembly is in its collapsed position.

9. The invention in accordance with claim 3, wherein said kneeler legs,arms and links are so constructed and arranged with respect to said rearlegs so as to provide means for cooperating to releasably lock saidframe assembly in its collapsed position and permit release'of saidframe assembly from such locked position only upon initial predeterminedmovement rearwardly of said kneeler legs about their pivotal connectionwith said arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,846,392 Hambrook Feb. 23, 1932 2,548,098 Clarin Apr. 10, 19512,572,591 Booth Oct. 23, 1951 2,671,497 McIntyre Mar. 9, 1954 I2,843,189 Locksin July 15, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 969,869 France May 31,1950

